Decision details

The reasons for the decision are:
Stronger Without aims to help Greater Manchester schools, colleges, and other education and youth providers create pathways within their curriculum and activities that remove any need for young people to consider carrying a knife. This aligns with the Home Office’s ambition to reduce knife crime by 50% over the next decade.

The first stage of work in the Summer term focuses on engaging stakeholders with the ‘Stronger Without’ concept. At its core, ‘Stronger Without’ means stronger without knives – and ultimately, without the need for knife arches and wands.

When this initial phase is complete, the next stage would involve commissioning a pilot, which would require training, meetings with staff, and engagement with local authority officers.

‘Stronger Without’ starts with a blank canvas to develop the influence, persuasion, relationships, and networks to drive change in the education system led by the VRU.

The Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit are seeking to make a payment of £3000.00 to Glynn Potts (former headteacher of Newman College, a high school in Oldham) to co-lead stakeholder engagement for the VRU’s 2025 ‘Stronger Without’ programme.